Priority: The Battle Against Death
The story so far "Three months ago, the Reapers attacked without warning. They destroyed the Batarian Hegemony in a matter of days. Then they took Earth, Palaven, Thessia and many others. While ground resistance is attempting to fight back on these planets, the main cities have been converted into Processing Camps, in which Indoctrinated collaborators build and work the machines that will turn their loved ones into mindless abominations, ready to be shipped to the front. Casualties are impossible to determine, but hundreds of millions may be dying on Earth at this moment. Today is the day of the Final Battle. The combined fleets of galactic species have entered Earth's orbit, running interference while some kind of secret weapon is being deployed. Today, if you you succeed, you will stop the Reapers. If you fail, you will die, and your entire species will die with you. A few minutes ago, the shooting has started. A dozen vessels have already been destroyed, all of them on your side. Your ship is one of the those that have been selected to pick the escape pods. Time to go and check that they contain survivors, and not boarders." Sequence of events This action-heavy prelude is an opportunity for the Player's Characters to get together for the first time, to join forces against Reaper forces trying to board their ship, and to try out the rules of the game. As the GM, your role is to keep the action rolling. The ship will be boarded several times, by various kinds of units. Make the players defend each section, each corridor. While they do this, constant radio chatter will inform them of how other units are succeeding (or failing) at their task. Regularly, the ship will be shot at. Sections will be depressurized, units will call for help, the ship's VI will inform the crew to brace for an impact or an explosion, etc. Welcome committee The first few escape pods will indeed contain survivors from downed ships. Each escape pod contains 3 to 10 survivors whose first actions will be to report their name and rank, connect with the ship's VI and be routed either towards the infirmary or to active duty. During this time, radio chatter is relatively quiet, with units informing each other that everything is fine, and of how many survivors they found. Have characters meet briefly Lieutenant Sergei, Paulo Dos Anjos, Lebda Vas Vazil and Kal'Nith vas Vazil. After the players have welcomed two or three escape pods, shots will be heard, and Unit Gamma will frantically request for backup. The escape pod contains a bio-synthetic hulking brute attempting to claw its way through a hatch too small for it. While the PCs run to help, radio chatter will report Husks on board. Indeed, before they can reach unit Gamma, they will encounter a wave of Husks charging towards a few marines. Luckily for the PCs, the Husks are initially charging away from them. Rolling the dice Time for the first rolls of dice to shoot at wave of Husks. As the PCs have ranged weapons and the Husks do not, this is a roll In Favor of the PCs: # Find out the relevant skills on the character sheet – these are the words or sentences that have been highlighted by the GM. Words such as Marine, Infiltrator, Guns, Combat Training, N7 Training, etc. are relevant skills for this action. Words such as Hiding, Hacking, Observation, etc. are not relevant for this action. # Count one point per relevant word/sentence. If a word/sentence is underlined several times, or the GM has added a number, count this number instead of one. That's your score. # Roll 2d6 (that's two six-sided dice). These dice will determine the success or failure of the action. # Since this is a roll In Favor, if either of the dice is lower or equal to the score, the action is a success. Otherwise, it is a failure. # Roll another 1d6. This will determine the amplitude of the success/failure. So if the action was a success, an amplitude of 6 means that it was a great success (e.g. a grenade exploded and took down several Husks), while an amplitude of 1 means that it was not very useful (e.g. a Husk was barely wounded). On the other hand, if the action was a failure, an amplitude of 6 means that it was a catastrophe (e.g. a grenade meant for the Husks actually took down several Marines), while an amplitude of 1 means that it could have been much worse (e.g. the grenade misfired or exploded without harming anyone). That's it, you know the main rule of this RPG. I actually suggest using three dice with different colors. Pick one to be the amplitude die, then roll all three dice at the same time. Oh, and one last thing: if the Husks do manage to get their hands on you, they get the advantage, so this becomes a roll Against the PCs. The only difference between a roll In Favor and a roll Against is that instead of picking the best of 2d6 to determine success, you pick the worst. Fighting There are no specific rules for fighting. There are also no rules for shield, health, wounds. Use your sense of drama. You are here to have fun, after all, not to kill or maim the PCs – unless this serves the story, of course. Now, let the firefight start. Playing the Husks Radio chatter Units are being ordered around, to protect the bridge, the engine room, the main gun. The VI reports approaching pods, counting down until the pods attach themselves, informing where the pods are attached, identifying whether the pods contain allied units or Reaper troops. The Husks are simple, near-mindless killing machine. Their main purpose is to run at their enemies as fast as they can (2) and try to claw, bite or strangle them (3). When they are at a distance, they are at a disadvantage, so any roll is In Favor of whoever shoots at them. When they get too close, however, their strength, speed and savagery means that any roll is Against their enemy. You may decide to change this slightly if one of your PC is specially good at close-range (e.g. a Cerberus Phantom, a Vorcha, a Krogan, a highly-skilled martial artist). This sequence of events does not specify how many Husks are part of this wave. Just keep it a relatively simple encounter. The PCs will get worst soon. Battle for the engine room Radio chatter More Husks reported on several decks, bracing for impact with debris, engineers called to fix a coolant leak at the main gun, engineers calling for reinforcements, reporting enemy fire from a group of Cannibals, VI sensors down near the engine room, calling for investigation. By the time the PCs reach Unit Gamma, they will have managed to blow away the legs of the immobilized Brute, and are emptying clip after clip on its head, trying to kill it for good. Give the PCs a few seconds to catch their breath and reload their shields while listening to radio chatter and meet (or meet again) NPCs, before the blast-proof doors open and another wave of Husks charges. This time, make it a tough fight. Husks will get mowed down but other Husks will take their place, they will climb on the walls and Marines will get torn apart. Get PCs to try and save their allies, get them into full contact combat with Husks. Get them overwhelmed. Eventually, a door will open, and a group of Marines led by Lieutenant Sergei and protected by her Biotic shield will open fire. Sergei will instruct any survivors to get out of the line of fire. Just as the PCs exit, a heavy enemy unit is reported in front of the engine room. Unit Tango is screaming for backup and heavy weapons. If the PCs do not decide to provide said backup, Sergei will send them in advance while her team contains the Husks. The VI will provide the location of nearby heavy weaponry. When they arrive, the PCs have a few seconds to take a look. "The spare parts room is a maze of stacked crates, a number of which have exploded. On the other side of the room, a large double-door, solidly locked for the moment, leads to the engine room, the most critical part of the ship. Just in front of these doors, you can see a few Marines, pinned down behind a stack of crates, under the nourished fire provided by a dozen grotesque hunchbacked forms that may once have been Batarians. As many Husks are screaming and climbing their way through the maze towards the Marines, ready to tear them down as soon as they can get their hands on them. But all of that is nothing in comparison of the form that floats across the room, looking towards the Marines. It may have been female or it may have been Asari. Whatever it used to be, it is now a screaming abomination that throws the crates out of its way with Biotic fury, vanishes then appears again in a different place. Even through your battle gear and your shield, the scream pierces your ears, and has you trembling for a moment like children. These Marines are going to die. You have maybe two or three seconds before someone notices you." Playing the Banshee Radio chatter Victory in some sections, defeat in others. Lieutenant Sergei, Paolo Dos Anjos, Kal'Nith Vas Vazil informing the PCs that they are pinned down but will be here as soon as they can. The other marines pinned down by the Cannibals asking the PCs what's taking so long. VI counting down before more impacts. Screams of marines. Requests for backups. Someone calling for immediate ship evacuation before being contradicted by a commanding officer. Praying. And the scream of the Banshee, stronger than all noise, stronger than anything imaginable. The Banshee is near-invulnerable to weapons (3). It can use Biotics (2). It can teleport (1). It can fly (1). If it can get its hands on a character, that character is dead (4). The only advantage that the players have is that nobody has noticed them. For a few seconds, all throws are going to be In Favor of the PCs. Once the Banshee has turned her attention against them, their only hope will be to run away towards reinforcements. If the PCs do not deduce this themselves, the ship VI will be sure to tell them. Let the PCs handle the situation as they can. No matter what they do, it will eventually become desperate. If it doesn't, make sure to throw some more Husks at them, or perhaps a Brute. At some point, the VI will start counting down from 10 to energy impact. And then... At the count of 0, the entire ship will be invaded by electrical arcs and a strange energy field. All Reaper troops will suddenly stop, as if thinking. Gravity will temporarily disappear, as well as most of the ship's functions, including the VI and communications. That was the good news. For most of the allied marines, this means that it is time to mow down as many enemies as possible before they regain control of their functions. For the PCs, however, this is a different story. They will start hearing voices, having difficulties concentrating. And then, without deciding to, they will start firing on their own troops. Fade to black. To be continued In the next chapter, the characters will wake up to a brave new world. The War has been won, right? Supporting characters The following characters are either crew members or survivors from another ship rescued from their life pods. At this stage, you don't need actual character sheets for them, they are just here to bring some personality to this action scene. Lieutenant Sergei Alliance Navy. A tall, blond woman with strong biotics, good leadership and an impressive calm under fire. Don't hesitate to have her save the PCs a few times with her Biotics if necessary, and vice-versa. Keep her alive, as she will appear again during the story, but don't hesitate to hurt her. For fun, you can have the PCs open fire on her at the end of this chapter. Lebda Vas Vazil Quarian Marine. A thin male in a purple spacesuit, with strong survival skills, very agile. Paolo Dos Anjos Alliance Navy Infiltrator. A strong man with an impressive resilience. You can have him disappear in a mob of Husks only to come back later, heavily wounded but still fighting. Kal'Nith Vas Vazil Quarian Inflitrator. A thin male in dark spacesuit, good at hiding and finding good sniper points. Unfortunately, not a very good shooter. You can have him commit some accidental friendly fire. But what if? If your characters come from different species that have nothing to do in the same ship initially, you can decide that some of the characters come from one of the ships that have just been destroyed, and that they come out from the escape pods when the action starts. If your characters have a Cerberus background, they are stationed on a cloaked ship orbiting Earth to observe the events. The ship has just been detected by the Reapers and will be shot at and boarded just as any other ship around Earth. If some of your characters have a Cerberus background, but not all, combine the above approaches: the Cerberus ship has just been destroyed and the life pods are picked up by the ship containing the other characters. Cerberus forces and the forces of the Combined Fleet may have a little time to shoot at each other, but Reaper forces will board very soon, before the characters have a chance to be seriously harmed.